Roatan Marine Park

Buy the 2012 Roatan Marine Park Calendar

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:22:55 +0000

The Roatan Marine Park 2012 Calendar is here!

The winners of the 2011 Roatan Marine Park photography contest are featured in beautiful high-resolution with a glossy finish alongside twelve months of calendar space. As a bonus, this year’s calendar also features a free fold-out poster!

Calendars are $12 USD each, or just $10 USD each for a pack of ten. Shipping to the United States is $5 USD per package of calendars— you can save money by buying in bulk! You can pay via paypal to our email listed below.

Contact our office at info@roatanmarinepark.net or use the form below to place your order. Payment will not be requested until order has been received and confirmed.

[contact-form-7]

October 2011 Lionfish Derby

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:50:09 +0000

2011 Underwater Photo Competition

admin — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:19:06 +0000

Enter the Roatan Marine Park’s 2011 Underwater Photo Competition for your chance to be featured in the 2012 Roatan Marine Park Calendar!

This year’s competition is accepting submissions for the following categories:

Macro
Divers
Reef Inhabitants
Invertebrates
Conservation in Action / Reefs at Risk
Black and White

All images must be from Roatan. Maximum of 6 entries per person but you may submit more than one entry per category. Images must be in .jpeg format. Please include your name, entry category, where image was taken, and title. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each category will be printing in the calendar.

Submission deadline is July 1st 2011. Email images to: info@roatanmarinepark.net

TIME: Taming the Lionfish

admin — Sat, 14 May 2011 20:26:30 +0000

Taming the Lionfish:

Can Predators Be Trained to Control an Invasive Species?

By Christy Choi – May 10 2011 – TIME Magazine

In March, on a small reef off the coast of Honduras, a group of pioneering conservationists started teaching sharks how to hunt. A half-dead lionfish, speared earlier by a diver, was released into the midst of a swirling mass of grey reef sharks. Sensing the lionfish’s final twitches, the sharks descended on the weakened prey. Unsuspectingly, a second lionfish wandered into the frenzy. Within seconds, it, too, was gone. All that remained was a trail of mush emanating from a shark’s toothy maw.

Floating in the nearby blue, photographer Antonio Busiello was there to capture the moment he and members of the Roatan Marine Park, a grassroots community organization in Honduras, had spent three months waiting for. “We weren’t sure the sharks would hunt on their own,” Busiello recalls from his studio in Los Angeles. Although not yet common behavior, the reef sharks’ voluntary hunt brings hope of a new way of battling the long-problematic proliferation of lionfish in the region. The aquarium pet turned invader, with it’s voracious appetite, prolific breeding and territorial nature, has locals and scientists up and down the Caribbean and Northern Atlantic worried about the threat it could pose to coastal ecosystems and economies by wiping out the stocks of small fish in an already stressed ecosystem.

Roatan Marine Park Birthday Bash

admin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:10:49 +0000

More on overfishing

nicbach — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:47:51 +0000

It is not news that the world’s oceans are in trouble. The United Nations estimates that over 70% of the world’s fish stocks are overfished. Many important fisheries have closed and many more are so overfished they are unlikely to ever recover. If man continues to plunder the ocean at the current level, studies show the entire world’s stocks of seafood will collapse by 2050. Critically endangered species such as Atlantic cod, goliath grouper, and bluefin tuna have less time. The World Wildlife Foundation chose the Bluefin as the sixth most threatened species in the world, land or sea. Scientists agree it will be functionally extinct by 2012. Still the governments of Japan, Canada, and others opposed a ban on international trade of the Bluefin on the grounds it would devastate fishing economies. Not surprising since a Bluefin can fetch as much as $100,000 in Japan. Yet global fish populations continue to plunge as catch limits and regulations set by organizations like the UN are disobeyed. The overfishing of a particular species does not just damage its population; it has serious effects on the entire food chain. Every species is vital to the overall health of the marine eco-system. Without large fish to eat the medium fish, the enormous medium fish population will devour all the small fish and will eventually starve, leaving the ocean practically empty. Overfishing also profoundly reduces the ocean’s ability to resist diseases, filter pollutants, and recover from stresses such as climate change. In addition, many fishing techniques such as the use of nets and long lines, kill indiscriminately. The unintended victims, called bycatch, include other species of fish, seabirds, sharks, whales, dolphins, turtles, and other protected species.

Bycatch caught last year totaled 38.5 million tons or about 40% of all seafood catches. Think about this the next time you eat shrimp: For every pound of shrimp caught, 3 pounds of other marine creatures are killed in the nets and thrown away. To combat global overfishing, the RMP urges everyone to reduce the amount of seafood they eat and to always choose sustainable species. In Roatan, this means no grouper, lobster, or conch and definitely no sea turtles.

The problems with overfishing

nicbach — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:46:41 +0000

People often ask the RMP about the sustainability of fishing in Roatan’s waters. As with most coastal communities, fishing is more than a sport on Roatan, it’s a way of life. It is also the primary source of food and income for many. While Roatan has few large commercial fishing vessels, which are responsible for much of the world’s overfishing, our marine species are still in danger. Since the first people landed on Roatan, the sea has provided much of the food for island’s inhabitants. In 1960, the population of Roatan was around 10,000 people. Today it’s estimated to be as high as 75,000. As the population has increased, so too has the need for food. This has created stress on the surrounding marine ecosystems. In some areas, it’s nearly impossible to find a mature snapper or grouper. The species’ populations are further depleted when juveniles that haven’t yet reproduced are harvested. This is also true of conch and lobster which used to be in abundance on Roatan. Sadly, conch are now considered an endangered species in some waters and spiny lobsters populations are dwindling. It’s no longer possible for Roatan’s inhabitants to live off abunthe sea like they used to; there are just too many people and not enough fish.

Pelagic species are under pressure from a growing sports and charter fishing industry. In the past six months, Roatan has been host to four fishing tournaments. Only one, the 11th Roatan Fishing Tournament, was catch and release. For the first time this year, all billfish caught during the contest were released. This is a big step forward in conserving Roatan’s billfish as White and Blue Marlin populations worldwide are rapidly approaching extinction, with an 88% decline in numbers since 1960. Roatan’s other tournaments focused on wahoo, barracuda, and tuna. All species of tuna have undergone drastic declines in population due to the increase of fishing and some are threatened with extinction. The RMP encourages organizers of upcoming tournaments to enforce minimum size regulations and maximum catch limits to ensure a healthy future for Roatan’s waters.

The problems with run-off

nicbach — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:21:01 +0000

With all the rain and the ensuing run-off these past few months, the RMP received many questions about the effects of sedimentation on the reef. The earliest coral reef researchers recognized that coral growth was strongly inhibited wherever muddy freshwater enters the sea. Negative impacts of rivers include the introduction of freshwater and sediments such as mud, silt, and clay. While freshwater can cause bleaching, excessive sediment smothers and kills coral. Corals differ greatly in their ability to resist sedimentation, however most species are highly intolerant of even small amounts.

Unfortunately for the coral of Roatan, increases in development often worsen sedimentation. One of the main culprits is coastal dredging, like that which has occurred in Mahogany Bay and French Cay. Dredging generates huge muddy plumes which smother reefs in areas that previously had clear water. These plumes continue to cause damage long after the dredging has ceased as the mud is re-stirred by every storm, causing clouds of sediment to slowly work their way down coastlines, damaging reefs many times more before they are washed away.

The other main cause of sedimentation is soil erosion caused by increased deforestation and development. Depending on rainfall, topography, soil types, and land management, deforestation and development can result in up to thousand-fold increases in sedimentation in near shore waters. As a result sedimentation is taking a severe toll on almost all coastal reefs worldwide. In healthy coastal watersheds, sediments are naturally removed from fresh water before it enters the sea. Plants such as grass, trees, and mangroves act as buffers between the land and the sea by trapping sediment. If the natural buffer zones are damaged, sediment runs straight out onto the reef.

Roatan’s soil is composed mainly of red clay, which is easily soluble. After a heavy rain, it’s easy to see the threat to the reef as huge muddy plumes of water fill our lagoons. Our island’s reefs are under great threat of sedimentation. Unregulated deforestation and development, illegal road building (especially during rainy season), and the rampant destruction of huge swathes of mangroves, the list of threats is endless. Only through more conscientious development will Roatan’s reefs have a fighting chance.

Lionfish Derby 2011: Join in the hunt

admin — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:20:58 +0000

Sign up for the Roatan Marine Park’s second

Lionfish Derby

CASH PRIZES for:

Most lionfish caught
Smallest lionfish caught
Largest lionfish caught (LONGEST)

For a complete list of rules or for more info, please stop by the Marine Park Office or visit our facebook page

Derby Details

Sign up for Roatan’s second Lionfish Derby and help control the invasive species population. $20 per team of 2 to enter, $30 per team to enter the whole weekend.

Cash prizes for most lionfish caught in a single day, biggest lionfish (longest) and smallest lionfish (weight). It is not necessary to hunt all days as the catch totals are per day.

May Sat 14th: Start from Barefoot Cay and the RMP office in West End at 7am, return by 5pm

May Sun 15th: Starting points in West End and Barefoot Cay, hours from 7am till 5pm

The Derby will be followed by a Lionfish Cook-Off on Monday May 16th at Coconut Tree Restaurant in West End, starting at 6.30pm. Come show off your culinary skills or just eat. Lionfish meat will be made available to contestants if needed. For more Cook Off information, please visit the Eat ‘em to Beat ‘em events page on the Roatan Marine Park organisation facebook.

All teams should be registered by May 12th. At least one person from each team should attend the Captains Meeting on Thursday May 12th at 5:30pm at the Marine Park office in West End. Teams will not be considered registered until waiver and entry forms have been signed and entrance paid.

For more information please stop by the Marine Park Office in Half Moon Bay or call 2445-4208.

You may dive and/or snorkel while hunting. If diving, at least one diver must have a dive computer and stick to it.

Lionfish may be taken by pole-spear, Hawaiian sling, hand net, or plastic bag. No chemicals are to be used.

Participants are required to carry a thermos bottle on the boat containing hot water for first aid purposes.

Lionfish caught must be kept on iced water in a cooler to preserve the fish and also to neutralize the venom. It is up to the hunters to cut the poisinous dorsal spines off and count the lionfish before presenting them to the judges.

All lionfish must be caught the day of the Derby. The Marine Park reserves the right to use the lionfish for the cook off at the Awards Ceremony. In the event of a tie, the winning team will be determined by the earliest recording of its lionfish at the Scoring Station.

The Lionfish Derby is an honor system tournament; anyone found violating Derby Rules will be disqualified from receiving any prize money.

Lionfish Cook-Off

6:30PM, Monday May 16th at Coconut Tree Restaurant

Eat ‘em to beat ‘em! Show off your culinary skills or just eat fresh lionfish.

CASH PRIZES for winners!
$5 to enter, or just $10 to enjoy the meals. We will provide lionfish meat to contestants though we cannot guarantee the amount. For this reason, we recommend that anyone planning to enter the cook-off should find another source of meat, i.e. ask a dive shop or friend in the hunting competition

There are 2 categories: Appetizer / side dish and Main. Contestants may enter more than one dish in each category. The entry fee for each dish is $5 or 3 dishes for $12. Each dish may consist of… more than one part as long as they go together, i.e. a small sampling of amuse bouches, a selection of dips, etc.

Competitors must supply their tools, i.e., knives, cutters, pans and products/recipe ingredients to prepare the recipe. Blue Marlin has graciously let us hold the event and have access to their kitchen but all competitors will be working in the same kitchen space so we recommend preparing as much ahead of time as possible. Please bring a plug in hot plate or cooking device if you can.

We would prefer if people would register by Thursday May 12th but it is not required. For any questions regarding the cook –off or to register, please stop by the Marine Park office located on Half Moon Bay in West End or call 3320-6940.

Get Your Roatan Marine Park 2011 Calendar!

admin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:31:07 +0000

The Roatan Marine Park 2011 Calendar is here!

The winners of the 2010 Roatan Marine Park photography contest are featured in beautiful high-resolution with a glossy finish alongside twelve months of calendar space. As a bonus, this year’s calendar also features a free fold-out poster!

Calendars are $15 USD each, or just $12 USD each for a pack of ten. Shipping to the United States is $5 USD per package of calendars— you can save money by buying in bulk!

Contact Nic Bach at info@roatanmarinepark.net or use the form below to place your order. Payment will not be requested until order has been received and confirmed.

[contact-form-7]